Airbnb to provide free temporary housing to 20,000 additional Afghan refugees

Airbnb is doubling the number of Afghan refugees it plans to temporarily house as more people flee Afghanistan and seek shelter after the Taliban seized power in the country last month.

The San Francisco-based company aims to provide free housing to 20,000 additional Afghan refugees, bringing the total to 40,000 since it started the initiative last month, it said in a statement.

“Thanks to the generosity of our hosts and donors from across the country and around the world, Airbnb.org will have the capacity to go above and beyond its initial commitment to house 20,000 Afghan refugees,” it said.

“If demand for housing aligns with supply in communities where refugees are resettling, these new resources could help provide housing for an additional 20,000 Afghan refugees.”

Airbnb.org is a non-profit arm of the company that helps people to find temporary accommodation in times of crisis around the world. Over the past four years, the organisation has helped more than 25,000 refugees find temporary housing.

In addition to stays funded by Airbnb, Airbnb.org and donors, 5,000 hosts on Airbnb have offered to provide free and discounted stays to Afghan refugees, with more hosts volunteering to support refugees every day, it said.

Tens of thousands of Afghans and foreign citizens have fled the country after the Taliban seized power two decades after they were toppled by the US and Nato.

The takeover by the militants raises the risk of economic collapse as the country continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, drought and a weakening currency.

The need for temporary housing is expected to grow as more Afghanis flee the country. In the US alone, officials estimate 65,000 refugees to arrive by the end of September and as many as 30,000 more in the year to come.

Airbnb said it is working with all nine US resettlement agencies, including International Rescue Committee and Church World Service, as well as Afghan-led organisations such as Women for Afghan Women, to help refugees.

“Resettlement agencies expect bookings will increase as more Afghan evacuees move off military bases and into communities where they will resettle.”

The company is also working closely with partners to assess temporary housing needs outside the US with the goal of expanding to other countries that have committed to resettle a significant number of Afghan refugees, it said.

The UAE is also hosting Afghan families, especially women and children, and is committed to taking all necessary measures to provide them with care and social support while on UAE soil.

The initiative by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, is designed to extend safety and dignity to these families, UAE state news agency Wam reported earlier.

If you go

The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.

The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).

When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.

Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands

Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world

New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.

The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.

Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.

“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.

"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

Kareem Shaheen on Canada

Canada should look past the US election outcome

There would be no Alphonso Davies without open borders

Hard-hit Canada is springing back to life – or to the already cliched 'new normal'

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

While you're here

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C Uday Bhaskar: The 'Asian Century' depends on China and India working together

Sholto Byrnes: Asia's bumpy trade routes are by no means dead-end streets

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Company%20Profile

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)

Match on Bein Sports

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

While you're here

Andrew Wilks: The violent legacy of a group that France plans to ban

Damien McElroy: Biden must not fall for Erdogan's promised reforms

David Lepeska: 16th-century pirates inspire Erdogan's foreign policy

UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS

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